Colin Hanks

Who Is Colin Hanks?

Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. He was born on November 24, 1977, in Sacramento, California. He is best known for his role as Officer Gus Grimly in the FX crime series Fargo, which earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Critics’ Choice Television Award.

He is the eldest son of two-time Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and the late actress and producer Samantha Lewes.

Born Colin Lewes Dillingham, his name was changed to Hanks after his parents married in 1978. With his strong physical resemblance to his father, he quickly found there was no escaping the inherent benefits — and limitations — of pursuing acting while having a Hollywood A-lister as a parent.

Early Life: Sacramento Roots and a Famous Father

Born Into Hollywood

Hanks was born and raised in Sacramento, California, the eldest son of actor Tom Hanks and his first wife, producer and actress Susan Dillingham, known professionally as Samantha Lewes, who died of bone cancer on March 12, 2002.

The loss of his mother at age 24 was a defining moment in his personal life. He has kept details of that grief largely private throughout his career.

Family

He has a younger sister, Elizabeth (born 1982), and two younger paternal half-brothers, Chester Marlon Hanks (born 1990) and Truman Theodore Hanks (born 1995), from his father’s second marriage to actress Rita Wilson.

His half-brothers Chet and Truman are also known in the entertainment world. Rita Wilson, his stepmother, is a successful actress and singer in her own right.

Education

Hanks graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he pursued his academic interests before committing fully to his acting career.

Career Journey: Thirty Years of Standout Roles

The Beginning: That Thing You Do! (1996)

Colin Hanks began his acting career at the age of 18. He made his screen debut in That Thing You Do! (1996) — a film directed by his own father, Tom Hanks. It was a modest but meaningful start.

From there, he pursued opportunities on his own terms.

Early Television Success: Roswell and Band of Brothers (1999–2001)

In 1999, Hanks was cast as Alex Whitman in the popular science-fiction series Roswell. He appeared regularly across two seasons. The role gave him a loyal fan base and proved he could anchor a television ensemble.

Shortly after, he appeared in the landmark HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001), produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. His other television credits include Roswell, Band of Brothers, Dexter, Fargo, The Good Guys, and Life in Pieces.

Mainstream Breakthrough: Orange County (2002) and King Kong (2005)

Colin gained mainstream film attention with Orange County (2002), a teen comedy also starring Jack Black and John Lithgow. The film became a cult classic and remains one of his most recognizable early roles.

He then appeared in Peter Jackson’s epic blockbuster King Kong (2005), sharing the screen with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Hanks has starred in films including Orange County, King Kong, The House Bunny, The Great Buck Howard, and the Jumanji film series.

Dexter, Mad Men, and Critical TV Acclaim (2006–2012)

Hanks broadened his television range significantly during this period. He appeared in three episodes of Mad Men as Father Gill in season 2 — a quiet but well-received performance. He also appeared in the acclaimed Showtime thriller Dexter and made a guest turn on The O.C.

Each role demonstrated his ability to work across genres, from dark drama to sharp comedy.

The Career-Defining Role: Fargo (2014–2015)

The most celebrated chapter of Colin Hanks’s acting career arrived in 2014. In 2014, he played Officer Gus Grimly in the FX television series Fargo, for which he received Critics’ Choice Television Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

He is best known for his role as Gus Grimly on the FX crime series Fargo (2014–2015), which earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Critics’ Choice Television Award.

The character of Gus Grimly — a gentle, earnest small-town police officer navigating extraordinary evil — felt tailor-made for Hanks’s warm screen presence. Critics praised the performance. It remains the defining role of his career.

He returned to the series briefly in season 2, appearing in the episode “Palindrome.”

The Good Guys, Life in Pieces, and Television Stardom (2010–2019)

Between his Fargo success and other major projects, Hanks continued building a strong television presence. He starred as Jack Bailey in The Good Guys (2010) and then landed a lead role in CBS’s family comedy Life in Pieces (2015–2019), playing Greg Short across four seasons. The show ran for 85 episodes.

Additionally, Hanks provided the voice of Talking Tom, the title character in the web series Talking Tom & Friends, which ran from 2014 to 2021 and became a global children’s entertainment phenomenon.

Jumanji, The Offer, and A Friend of the Family (2018–2022)

In 2018, Hanks appeared as adult Alex Vreeke in the film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, a role he would later reprise in the film’s 2019 sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level.

In 2022, he delivered two strong television performances back to back. He played Barry Lapidus in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer, a dramatization of the making of The Godfather. He also played Bob Broberg in Peacock’s A Friend of the Family, a true-crime series about the Broberg kidnapping case.

Both roles showcased his range and confirmed his status as a reliable, high-quality performer in prestige television.

Documentary Filmmaking: A Director With a Story to Tell

All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records (2015)

Colin Hanks is not only an actor. He is also a dedicated filmmaker. In 2015, he directed All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, a documentary about the beloved record store chain. The film received strong critical praise and screened at the SF DocFest, marking his arrival as a serious documentary director.

Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) (2017)

His second documentary focused on an even more emotionally charged subject. This is Hanks’ third documentary after a pair of music-related docs, 2015’s All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records and 2017’s Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends), about the band that was onstage in Paris’ Bataclan theater when terrorists killed about 90 fans.

The film was a powerful tribute to resilience, survival, and the healing power of music.

John Candy: I Like Me (2025) — His Award-Winning Masterpiece

Colin Hanks’s most celebrated directorial work arrived in 2025. Directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, John Candy: I Like Me premiered at the opening night gala of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 4 and was released globally on Prime Video on October 10, 2025.

Hanks first met Candy when he was six or seven years old and his father, Tom, was starring with Candy in Splash. The film is therefore deeply personal — a tribute from someone who knew the man behind the legend.

The documentary takes a never-before-seen look into the existence of Candy, both on-camera and beyond, and was made with the full support of Candy’s family.

The reception was exceptional. At the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival in 2025, Colin Hanks won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary. He also won the Heartland International Film Festival Audience Choice Award for Documentary Special Presentation, and the film won the Astra TV Award for Best Documentary TV Movie in 2026.

Recent and Upcoming Projects (2024–2026)

Nobody 2 (2025)

Colin Hanks played Abel, a corrupt sheriff, in Nobody 2, the 2025 action sequel starring Bob Odenkirk, Sharon Stone, RZA, and Christopher Lloyd, released in the United States on August 15, 2025. The film was a major commercial success.

Nuremberg (2025)

In the 2025 drama Nuremberg, Colin Hanks played Dr. Gustave Gilbert, a psychologist, alongside Rami Malek and John Slattery. The film was released in North America on November 7, 2025, and received strong critical reviews.

Silo Season 3 (2026)

The third season of Apple TV+’s Silo premiered on July 3, 2026, with Colin Hanks appearing as Per Stenson in one episode.

Lucky Strike (2026)

Lucky Strike is a 2026 American war film starring Scott Eastwood and Colin Hanks. It was theatrically released in the United States on June 26, 2026. In the film, Hanks plays Colonel Neale.

Personal Life: A Grounded Life in Los Angeles

Marriage and Children

Colin Hanks married Samantha Bryant on May 8, 2010, in Los Angeles. They have two daughters together — one was born in 2011 and the other in 2013.

He has spoken openly about the challenges of parenting teenagers while maintaining a low-profile family life in Los Angeles, often crediting his parents’ grounded approach for his own balanced career.

He has kept his family largely out of the public spotlight. His wife Samantha is a former New York publicist. Together, they have built a quiet, stable family life far from the tabloid gaze.

A Love of Pop Culture and Entrepreneurship

Colin Hanks is a well-known pop culture enthusiast. Beyond acting, he has directed the documentary films All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records and Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis. He has also produced the documentaries Say Hey, Willie Mays! and Thriller 40.

His subjects — Tower Records, John Candy, Willie Mays, Michael Jackson — reveal a consistent passion for exploring American cultural legacies and the stories behind beloved icons.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Project	Result
2014	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	Fargo	Nominated
2015	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or TV Film	Fargo	Nominated
2015	Critics’ Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries	Fargo	Nominated
2025	Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival	Audience Choice Award: Best Documentary	John Candy: I Like Me	Won
2025	Heartland International Film Festival	Audience Choice Award: Documentary Special Presentation	John Candy: I Like Me	Won
2025	Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards	Best Biographical Documentary	John Candy: I Like Me	Nominated
2026	Astra TV Awards	Best Documentary TV Movie	John Candy: I Like Me	Won

Selected Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Medium
1996	That Thing You Do!	—	Film
1999–2001	Roswell	Alex Whitman	TV Series
2001	Band of Brothers	—	TV Miniseries
2002	Orange County	—	Film
2005	King Kong	—	Film
2008	Untraceable	—	Film
2008	The Great Buck Howard	—	Film
2008	Mad Men	Father Gill	TV Series
2010	The Good Guys	Jack Bailey	TV Series
2013	Parkland	—	Film
2014–2015	Fargo	Officer Gus Grimly	TV Series
2014–2021	Talking Tom & Friends	Talking Tom (voice)	Web Series
2015	All Things Must Pass	Director	Documentary
2015–2019	Life in Pieces	Greg Short	TV Series
2016	Elvis & Nixon	—	Film
2017	Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis	Director	Documentary
2018	Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle	Adult Alex	Film
2019	Jumanji: The Next Level	Adult Alex	Film
2022	The Offer	Barry Lapidus	TV Miniseries
2022	A Friend of the Family	Bob Broberg	TV Series
2024	Orion and the Dark	Adult Orion (voice)	Film
2025	Nobody 2	Sheriff Abel	Film
2025	Nuremberg	Dr. Gustave Gilbert	Film
2025	John Candy: I Like Me	Director / Producer	Documentary
2026	Silo (Season 3)	Per Stenson	TV Series
2026	Lucky Strike	Colonel Neale	Film